Learn Hardcore Finnish: Minun suomen taitoni on keskitasolla. - My Finnish is at an intermediate level.

minun – my (literally the genitive form of minä = I)
suomen – of Finnish (genitive of suomi, “Finnish (language)” or “Finland”)
taitoni – my skill (taito = skill, -ni = my)
on – is (3rd person singular of olla, “to be”)
keskitasolla – at (an) intermediate level (keskitaso = intermediate level, -lla = “on/at”)

A more literal, slightly awkward English rendering would be:
“My skill of Finnish is at (an) intermediate level.”

Why do we have both minun and the -ni ending in taitoni? Isn’t that double possession?

Yes, it looks like double marking of possession, and in a sense it is.

minun is the genitive form of “I” (my).
-ni is the 1st‑person singular possessive suffix, so taito (skill) → taitoni (my skill).

In standard Finnish, when you use a possessive suffix (taitoni), the genitive pronoun (minun) is optional:

Suomen taitoni on keskitasolla. – My Finnish skill is at an intermediate level.
Minun suomen taitoni on keskitasolla. – Same meaning, more explicit / a bit more emphatic.

Using both is grammatically correct. In everyday speech, people very often drop minun and just rely on the suffix:

Suomen taitoni on keskitasolla.

You only need minun if you want special emphasis, contrast, or clarity (for example in a sentence with many people’s skills being compared).

Can I leave out minun and just say Suomen taitoni on keskitasolla?

Yes, and that is usually the most natural way to say it.

Suomen taitoni on keskitasolla.
– Very normal, clear, and idiomatic.

If you include minun, it can sound a bit more formal, emphatic, or written‑style:

Minun suomen taitoni on keskitasolla, mutta haluan parantaa sitä.
– My Finnish skill is at an intermediate level, but I want to improve it. (stress on “my”)

Why is it suomen and not suomi in this sentence?

Because Finnish is using the genitive case to form an “of X” expression:

suomi (nominative) – Finnish (language) / Finland
suomen (genitive) – of Finnish, of Finland

Here we have a structure:

suomen taito = the skill of Finnish (skill in Finnish)

So:

suomen taitoni literally: my skill of Finnish
English usually says: my Finnish (language) skills or my Finnish is…

If you used nominative suomi instead:

*suomi taitoni – this is wrong in standard Finnish; it must be suomen taitoni.

Why is it taitoni and not just taito?

taito = skill
taito + -ni → taitoni = my skill

Finnish often marks possession directly on the noun:

taitoni – my skill
taitosi – your (singular) skill
taitonsa – his/her/their skill

So taitoni is the subject of the verb on (“is”).
If you said only suomen taito on keskitasolla, it would mean:

“The Finnish skill is at an intermediate level” – but it doesn’t say whose skill. That’s why you add -ni if you mean my skill.

What case is keskitasolla, and why is it used here?

keskitasolla is in the adessive case, ending -lla / -llä.

The adessive often means:

“on” (a surface)
“at” or “on” (a place or level)
“with / by” (as an instrument)

Here it expresses being at a certain level:

keskitaso – intermediate level
keskitasolla – at an intermediate level

So the pattern is:

Minun suomen taitoni on keskitasolla.
– My Finnish skill is at an intermediate level.

This “level as a place you are on/at” idea is why the adessive is natural here.

Could I say keskitasoa instead of keskitasolla?

Yes, you sometimes see keskitasoa (partitive), but the nuance is slightly different.

keskitasolla (adessive, “on/at the intermediate level”)
- Focuses on being at that level, as if level is a point or “platform”:
- Suomen taitoni on keskitasolla.
  – My Finnish skill is at an intermediate level.
keskitasoa (partitive, “of intermediate quality/degree”)
- Focuses more on the quality/degree of something:
- Suomen taitoni on keskitasoa.
  – My Finnish skill is (of) intermediate (quality).

Both are understood as “intermediate level”, but:

keskitasolla is more literally “at the intermediate level” (very common collocation with skills, competence levels).
keskitasoa sounds a bit more like describing the quality as “intermediate”.

As a learner, using keskitasolla for “at an intermediate level” is a very safe default.

Is the word order fixed, or could I say Suomen taitoni on keskitasolla minun or something else?

The word order is somewhat flexible, but not totally free.

Grammatically good options include:

Minun suomen taitoni on keskitasolla.
Suomen taitoni on keskitasolla.
Suomen taitoni on keskitasolla nyt. (adding “now”)
Keskitasolla on minun suomen taitoni. (emphasising the level)

Things you shouldn’t do:

*Suomen on taitoni keskitasolla. – wrong / very unnatural.
*Suomen taitoni keskitasolla on. – wrong order of verb.

A neutral, everyday way to say it is:

Suomen taitoni on keskitasolla.

Placing minun at the very end (…on keskitasolla minun) is not normal Finnish word order and sounds wrong in this sentence.

Could suomen and taitoni be written together as one compound word?

In standard usage, they are written separately:

suomen taitoni

You will, however, also see expressions like:

suomen kielen taito – skill in the Finnish language
and sometimes as a compound: suomenkielentaito (more technical/compact)

For your sentence, the normal forms are:

Suomen taitoni on keskitasolla.
Suomen kielen taitoni on keskitasolla.

Writing *suomentaitoni would look odd or non‑standard; suomen taitoni (two words) is the usual way in this exact phrase.

Is Suomen kielen taitoni better than suomen taitoni, or do they mean something different?

They mean essentially the same thing:

suomen taitoni – my Finnish skill (informal/shorter)
suomen kielen taitoni – my Finnish language skill (more explicit, a bit more formal)

In everyday speech and writing, suomen taitoni is perfectly clear and common.
In formal contexts (e.g. certificates, academic text), you might see suomen kielen taito more often.

For a learner talking about their level, both are fine:

Suomen taitoni on keskitasolla.
Suomen kielen taitoni on keskitasolla.

Why is taitoni on singular, when in English we often say “my Finnish skills are…”?

Finnish typically treats this as one skill:

taito – skill, ability
taitoni – my skill, my ability

So:

Suomen taitoni on keskitasolla.
– Literally: “My Finnish skill is at an intermediate level.”

English is more likely to say “my Finnish skills are…”, but Finnish usually keeps it singular here. You can use the plural taidot (skills):

Suomen taitoni ovat keskitasolla. – My Finnish skills are at an intermediate level.

This is grammatically correct but sounds more formal or analytical.
For everyday self‑description, the singular taito / taitoni is natural and common.

How would I turn this into a question like “Is my Finnish at an intermediate level?” in Finnish?

You keep the same structure, but use the question form of olla (“to be”):

Onko suomen taitoni keskitasolla?
– Is my Finnish skill at an intermediate level?

If you want to be more conversational, you might instead ask about how your level is perceived:

Miltä suomen taitoni taso vaikuttaa?
– How does my Finnish skill level seem?
Vaikuttaako suomen taitoni keskitasolta?
– Does my Finnish skill seem intermediate?

How could I say “My Finnish is at a basic / advanced level” using the same pattern?

Use different words for the level, but keep the same structure:

Minun suomen taitoni on alkeistasolla.
– My Finnish skill is at a basic level.
(alkeistaso = basic level, beginner level)
Minun suomen taitoni on edistyneellä tasolla.
– My Finnish skill is at an advanced level.
(edistynyt taso / edistyneellä tasolla = advanced level)

More natural variants (still correct and common):

Suomen taitoni on alkeistasolla. – My Finnish is at a basic level.
Suomen taitoni on edistyneellä tasolla. – My Finnish is at an advanced level.